CHITRAL: Residents of Laspur Valley in Upper Chitral have opposed the inclusion of Shandur pasture in the list of territorial disputes between Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), maintaining that the issue should not be linked with the Babusar Pass and Diamer-Bhasha Dam boundary disputes.

In a joint statement issued after a meeting of local elders and notables in Laspur, community representatives said reports of a recent meeting between the KP governor and GB chief minister in Islamabad had caused widespread concern and anxiety across Chitral.

The statement maintained that Shandur had remained an integral part of Chitral since the reign of Sumalik in 1240AD, with its boundaries remaining unchanged during the successive Raees, Khushwaqt and Katur dynasties.

Elders say govt should resolve issues, not create new ones

“The 1975 Land Commission also upheld the existing boundary, while Shandur is officially recorded as part of Chitral in the Revenue Department’s records,” the statement said. It added that the KP fisheries and forest departments had continuously administered the Shandur watershed.

The elders said a clearly established boundary already existed between Ghizer and Laspur at Langar. They pointed out that nearly 800 households from Laspur lived in the area and maintained their places of worship there.

Urging the authorities to exercise restraint, the elders called upon the GB chief minister and KP governor to examine the relevant official records and obtain comprehensive briefings from departments concerned before taking any decision on the sensitive issue.

They stressed that the government’s primary responsibility was to resolve existing disputes and public concerns rather than create circumstances that could fuel tensions.

Reaffirming the importance of the existing boundary at Langar, the elders described it as a symbol of brotherhood and peaceful coexistence between the people of Upper Chitral and Ghizer and cautioned against turning it into a source of controversy.

They warned that the people of Laspur would resist any decision they considered unjust and demanded that local communities from both Laspur and Ghizer be taken into confidence to develop a consensus before any official action was taken.

Published in Dawn, November 15th, 2026